“It’s snowing within the Alps!” my buddy instructed me excitedly earlier than his snowboarding journey; “oh”, I mentioned smugly, “is that one thing exceptional?”. I stay within the southeast of Kazakhstan, within the nation’s financial hub, Almaty. As cities go, it’s comparable solely to Innsbruck for its on the spot accessibility to good ski areas, and distinctive portions of snow are the norm every winter. The nation will not be a rich one by Western requirements, however the folks’s enthusiasm to expertise all that life can provide is unmatched, and that features their style for winter sports activities.

Solely half-hour’ bus journey or 20 minutes by taxi from the centre, is the upmarket ski space of Shymbulak, Kazakhstan’s reply to St. Moritz and Cortina. However Almaty is a a lot bigger place than Innsbruck, so one minute I’m mingling with suited workplace employees ingesting their takeaway espresso and discussing enterprise, and the following I’m surrounded by sculptures of snow leopards, the image of the area, and nylon clad snowboarders. Whereas many anticipate to have a rugged, post-soviet expertise, they’re in actual fact shocked by its excessive requirements of upkeep and après leisure. Shymbulak’s base is at 2,200 metres, and for someplace with an immensely continental local weather, on the identical latitude as Good, meaning snow on the bottom from November to the top of March, assured. It’s a forward-thinking place, too. In a metropolis as massive as this, loads of folks go to the mountains for views, not for sport, so the principle lifts are cut up: two chairlifts for each gondola, with separate queues. It actually feels unusual at first, to slip as much as the again of a gondola because the chair comes round, faces staring again at me with nice curiosity, however the concept works – queues are minimal.

At Shymbulak, if it’s not snowing, its sunny, and more often than not it snows on weekdays and the sky is blue whenever you need to carve your turns. It’s as if god determined to present us the right season. On the highest level, 3,200 metres, the temperature is low, truly it’s so low that the blood is scared out of my fingers and the actual easy, flowing and quiet blue run I got here to race down, with carry posts filling in for slalom poles, isn’t one thing I can profit from till the spring.

The resort isn’t miserly with regards to off-piste adventures both. Head up after snowfall and there are figures throughout the mountains and between the timber in all instructions; as I head up a preferred carry for the extra adventurous, an English speaker tells me that what I considered 12 months for snow is definitely a bit under common, “usually these timber would solely simply stick by means of the highest of the snow”.

Fifty minutes’ drive to the east of town is Ak-Bulak, an excellent resort, however one which feels very a lot geared toward locals. The journey there reveals Kazakhstan past the massive metropolis, as we drive alongside the sting of the steppe, with flatness to 1 facet and distinctly alpine wanting mountains to the opposite. My taxi driver offers me the Kazakh flag which was hooked up to his dashboard as he sings alongside to Boney-M at about 999 decibels. As this a part of Kazakhstan is the pure origin of apples, he stops at a fruit vendor, and tries to persuade me to purchase as many apples as I can, as a result of he says, they’re the perfect apples I may strive. Sadly, I needed to decline as a result of my choice was to take the vendor’s total inventory or nothing in any respect. I don’t suppose I’d be capable of ski very effectively with a truckload of apples strapped to my again.

It is a enjoyable place and everybody right here is both making use of the obscenely large piste on the decrease finish of the resort for his or her first ever snowboarding or boarding expertise, or looking for the perfect strains by means of its in depth freeride terrain. Keep on the far left as you begin from the principle gondola and in case you’re fortunate you’ll discover the slim observe to the key drag-lift. I cease as I see a drop in entrance of me, from which I gained’t be capable of return, however solely an countless forest into the space. One or two tracks point out that perhaps the hidden carry is this manner, but when not I’ll be a bear’s dinner earlier than the solar goes down… after which a t-bar seems to drift like a ghost by means of the timber in entrance of me. I’ve by no means seen a carry that goes from someplace within the forest, to, effectively, elsewhere within the forest, nevertheless it supplies nice alternatives to apply one’s off-piste method; the route again to the resort even looks like couloir coaching for future big-mountain days.

When you’re completed your apply, comply with the folks with the widest, most brightly colored skis to the principle devoted freeride carry. From the place I’m watching, it appears like a carry to heaven. After a protracted ascent it vanishes into the clouds earlier than reaching the highest of the mountain. Everybody who tries to journey it’s quizzed on their proficiency by the attendant earlier than being allowed on; the runs from the highest are steep, lengthy, and powdery all the way in which to the underside, and there are a mess of how to get down. Nice enjoyable.

There are extra ski areas to expertise inside an hour of Almaty, too. Attempt Oi-Karagai or Tabogan in case you’re with learners. Kazakhstan appears primed to burst out of its shell as a future go-to winter sport vacation spot: new and extra in depth resorts, with sufficient Kilometres to justify a weeklong vacation, are being deliberate across the nation. I believe I’ll keep right here for so long as doable, as a result of every season goes to have extra alternatives than the final.

(Photographs credit score: Shymbulak Ski Resort)